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A spokeswoman said: “He was out of the water but couldn’t be reached due to the undergrowth. The boat was requested to assist and the Newcastle Water Rescue attended. The man was successfully rescued from the canal side.

“The teams left at 11.30am with the man in care of the ambulance service.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed they had taken a man to hospital after being called to the incident by police.

She said: “We transported an elderly patient to hospital after he was rescued from the canal.”

Meanwhile Ben Mortimer was passing through the area when the rescue was taking place. The 38-year-old, of Baddeley Green, said: “I was with my wife and we saw all the emergency services. When we looked down to the canal we could see a lot of people in high-vis and then there seemed to be some movement.

“We saw the man and recognised him the photo released when he was reported missing. We saw them putting a towel around him. It’s lucky that he was found.”